One in eight Britons is now vegan or vegetarian, while more than a fifth claim to be flexitarian and only eat meat occasionally, according to recent figures. Which means a third of the population have reduced their meat intake or cut it out completely. The fact that veganism is "in" right now probably has something to do with it.

But despite its popularity and a growing awareness of the benefits, veganism still incites loathing and even rage among many meat-eating people. Coincidentally, just this week the editor of Waitrose Food magazine quit his job after it emerged he'd suggested a series on "killing vegans, one by one" in response to a freelance journalist who had pitched features on plant-based recipes.

Back in January, there was the chef who was forced to resign after she threatened to spike a "pious, judgmental vegan's" meal; and who could forget the Dublin café that went viral in 2015 for barring vegans and threatening to kill them? Extreme examples of anti-veganism abound – and it's an attitude that people who avoid animal products are forced to endure daily.

As with everything else, there is undeniably a very small minority of holier-than-thou vegans, but the vast majority just want to be left alone to eat their Vego bars in peace. Ahead, six women reveal the abuse they receive just for being vegan.

Melissa, 19, Manchester

"I grew up surrounded by agricultural communities in mid Wales where veganism wasn’t the norm and I've been called 'inbred', 'stupid', 'an idiot' and 'bacon'. I've also had abuse during protests and activism. I protest outside a slaughterhouse and have had untold abuse shouted at me from passing cars. I also get trolled on social media. I've also had cigarettes thrown at me in the street. It happens at university too, as some people in my class are from a farming background – I was once called a 'vegan extremist' in class.

"I always respond with peace – veganism is a peaceful movement – and I ignore the social media trolls. In person, if the person is sensible I'll engage in conversation and am happy to discuss the ethics of veganism."

Beth, 21, Newcastle upon Tyne

"I've been vegan for nearly two years and the bullying was relentless at the beginning. I don't think people realise they're doing it – they've all seen vegan jokes on the internet and think it's funny to repeat them. People often make jokes, like 'How do you know someone's vegan? They'll tell you' but when the piss-taking is constant it can really get you down. Especially when, in my experience, most vegans won't mention it until it's relevant, namely, when food is being offered. It's usually the vegan's friends and family who will introduce them as 'the vegan'.

"We tend to be a really compassionate bunch and when we're constantly seeing death around us and then having people making fun of us, it's so tiring. When I first went vegan I used to laugh it off in the hope that they'd stop. They didn't. We can't really win – I have a sharp tongue so if someone takes a jab at me I'll say something back, but then I'm labelled as an 'angry vegan'. The worst is when people call you 'triggered', a 'snowflake', or when they say you don't care about anything else, or that you care about animals more than people. Most of us have heard it all.

"The abuse online is far worse than in person. People think they can hide behind a screen and scream about how much they hate vegans. My Twitter friends are great though and we all stick up for each other. Thankfully we can just block the trolls – my block list is huge. It's shit we have to put up with it, but animals go through much worse. I'll always fight for them even if it means people being mean to me."

Natasha*, 29, London

"As a vegan, people will constantly call you a hypocrite and say you're being difficult. They'll say things like: 'but do you know how bad soya is?', 'what's the point?', 'oh, I imagine you eat meat when you're drunk, don't you?', or, my personal favourite, 'go on, no one will know if you just eat some cheese'.

If you want to be vegan, you need to have a bit of a sense of humour or at least a thick skin.

"If you want to be vegan, you need to have a bit of a sense of humour or at least a thick skin. People do see it as open season to say things and it's just awkward for everyone if you can't try and laugh it off. I had one friend who used to mercilessly take the piss at every opportunity when I first went vegan, but she's since done a bit of research herself and now she's gone vegetarian totally of her own volition."

Janet*, 52, Kent

"I've been vegan for seven years – vegetarian since 1987 – and I still get stick for my diet every day, even from my family. People laugh in my face when I ask for the vegan menu and I'm constantly asked why I’m vegan. My worst ever experience was when an ex-partner spat kebab meat in my face. I normally try to educate people who say things, but most of the time they don’t listen. It’s like talking to a brick wall."

Amy, 21, Essex

"I’ve been vegan for two years and three months and most of the mocking I've received has been online. Random trolls always say stuff to vegans just to wind them up. They'll send GIFs of meat, call them stupid, say they’ll die from deficiencies, call us 'stupid liberal hippies' or just try to attack us as people, purely because they 'hate vegans'. Some people say really horrid things, so when I get a troll I normally just block them. I've had to block over 100 accounts of people who follow people just to abuse vegans.

"In real life I don’t normally get a lot, because I have supportive friends who aren’t really bothered by how I live as long as I’m happy and healthy. When I first went vegan, I made a point of using people’s insults in my favour, so before people made comments I’d already have said them. I'd joke about it. I’ve found being relaxed and having this approach helps me have proper conversations with people about veganism and be able to even spread the message better."

Kate, 39, Glasgow

"In the 18 months I've been vegan I've had all the typical comments that any vegan gets – 'but bacon though,' etc, etc – and am often introduced as 'the vegan' whenever I go anywhere. Luckily I've got a pretty thick skin though, and I know being vegan is the best thing for me and the environment. That's what I usually say in response. My dad particularly struggles with it but I've had a word with his wife and she knows that as long as she buys me a vat of hummus for when I visit, I can survive."

*Some names have been changed

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In September 2017, the London-based Turkish designer Dilara Findikoglu was accused of hosting a satanic orgy in a church. Outraged headlines screamed from the pages of the Daily Mail and the mouth of apoplectic American alt-right presenter (and noted conspiracy theorist) Alex Jones of InfoWars. "Now they have fashion shows with people dressed up as you'd dress up for a Satanic orgy right out of Eyes Wide Shut," Jones raved. "This itself is an act of Satanism, to carry out a Satanic ritual in a church," he opined, adding, with brilliantly camp ostentation: "The only thing better is to kill a child."

Reader, I was at that show. I’m sad to inform you that there was no orgy, and happy to confirm there was no infanticide; what did take place was a really great fashion presentation. Dilara showed a collection inspired by archetypes of the physical, metaphysical and spiritual realms. Characters included the Queen, King, Pope, Virgin, Justice, Shamash (the Mesopotamian Sun God), the Prime Minister, twin agents, a witch, God, the Devil, a nun, and the Forty Elephants ("a 19th and 20th century all-female London crime syndicate who specialised in shoplifting... notable for its longevity and skill in avoiding police detection," according to Wikipedia).

Known for her rock star tailoring, historic references, mystical iconography and concern with the spiritual realm, Dilara has gathered a wide range of fans. Bella Hadid was spotted wearing her Mick Jagger jacket; Madonna opted for the Garden of Eden coat; Adwoa Aboah had a whole custom suit made; Jazelle went for a silver cut-out mini dress to cuddle Kate Moss in; Rihanna was taken with a pink corset; Xtina went for bondage-influenced stage wear; Marilyn Manson got her to make his tour merch; and these cool cats commissioned custom suits for their wedding.

When Dilara’s most recent invite arrived on my desk, over a year after the non-satanic non-orgy, it had instructions to brandish it with an open flame to reveal details of her Spring Summer '19 presentation. Having decided not to show during London Fashion Week – to allow visitors time to take in the elaborate world she has created – Dilara opted to show on Samhain (the original Celtic festival that Christianity adopted as All Hallows' Eve, or Halloween). Held within Dennis Severs' House, a cramped townhouse museum in Spitalfields with wooden spiral staircase and rooms decorated extravagantly in 18th century style, the show was titled "May the Darkness Light the Way" and curated into seven existential, conceptual or personal 'conflicts': Sinful and Innocent; Natural and Synthetic; Modest and Provocative; Mind and Matter; London and Istanbul; Good and Evil; Future and Past.

"It grew out of thinking about conflicts in society, concepts like being modest, and being provocative, and being labelled as those things," Dilara explains, standing at the foot of a four-poster bed, where a virgin bride lies, watched over by an angel and a devil, in the topmost room of Dennis Severs' House. "Or [the concepts of] sinful and innocent – that connects to the idea of child marriages and girls being pushed to get married when they are children in the Middle East," Dilara says. She has noted the fluidity of these moral concepts before, telling LOVE magazine: "Whilst in some societies women are judged if they have sex before marriage, it’s permissible for girls of a young age to be forced to become child brides."

To help address this abusive practice, Dilara has been working on an exclusive T-shirt to benefit the World Human Relief Project focused on girls’ education and preventing child marriage in Turkey, her parents’ homeland. The charity built a school in the most populous region of Turkey, which has the lowest rate of education for girls, marginalised communities, and high rates of child marriage and female deaths.

Moving into the next room, Dilara explains that the model standing among plants growing inexplicably from the floor represents the future, situated within a room that looks to the past. "It’s my own conflict, [but it’s] everyone’s conflict. I’m quite nostalgic, but I’m also curious about the future and how I can develop my own work with more futuristic and modern things," Dilara explains. The model is wearing a voluminous baby blue bubble dress with ruched sleeves. So is the future kind of big, and blousy? I ask. "I want the future to be maximalist!" Dilara says. "If you look at historical references and photoshoots from the '20s and '60s, [where] they imagine the 2000s, it looks incredible, futuristic, and big! But we just wear jeans and T-shirts now, which is quite upsetting. My future is [maximalist]!"

In other rooms (dressed with moss and twigs, piles of fresh fruit, trays of Turkish delight, and a ouija board by set designer Jabez Bartlett), there are characters attempting to imitate nature and become one with the environment; four women involved in a seance to address their demons, watched over by a ghost; and a dancer trying to reconcile the dual parts of herself under British and Turkish flags, representing Dilara herself. The full looks, when staged among mystical artefacts and in such a historic setting, can imply that the clothes are costume-y, but, as Dilara’s many customers know, when you break the collection up into separates, there is a wealth of subversive tailoring, decadent party wear, and, yes, even wedding attire. If your budget doesn’t stretch to this demi-couture, look out for the charity T-shirts (arriving on Dilara’s e-store in the next week or so) to look good and do good, too.

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After productions in Shanghai, Paris, and London, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is returning to New York for its annual holiday spectacle. And, as usual, you can bet that an estimated 190 countries will be watching when the show airs on December 2nd (1opm/EST).

Ever year, a swarm of Angels walks the coveted Victoria's Secret runway in the retailer's latest fashions (add in some couture-style pieces for added production value that won't be sold en masse), and we gather around our televisions to see who's earned their wings, and which music mega-star will croon alongside them. (Past performers have included Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Maroon 5 and Justin Bieber.) The event, now 23 years strong, has become something of a highlight to the holiday season, and this year will not disappoint.

Via press release, the lingerie monolith revealed the names of which Angels would be returning to the catwalk and the star-studded lineup of performers they'll be strutting to. For the Angels, Adriana Lima, Behati Prinsloo (who is back following a three-year hiatus), Candice Swanepoel, Kendall Jenner, Elsa Hosk, Jasmine Tookes, Josephine Skriver, Lais Ribeiro, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Martha Hunt, Romee Strijd, Sara Sampaio, Stella Maxwell, and Taylor Hill will walk this year's stage, among a slew of newbies and up-and-comers.

And the performers are even bigger. Chart toppers like Shawn Mendes, Rita Ora, Bebe Rexha, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Kelsea Ballerini, and English rock band The Struts will provide the soundtrack to this year's show. "Only one show brings together the biggest names in music and the top models around the globe for an exciting hour of entertainment and style," ABC's senior vice president of alternative series, late night, and specials Rob Mills said. "We couldn’t be happier to work with this iconic brand and bring The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show to ABC."

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is indeed the most televised fashion event of the year, so naturally, we'll be tuning in. In addition to the aforementioned talent, designer Mary Katrantzou lent her talent to a section of the show, so be on the lookout for those, too. See you in December ( *winks, turns*).

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And on November 1, God gave us Timothée Chalamet and Harry Styles in conversation.

Four of the sharpest cheekbones in Hollywood spoke on the phone to discuss social media, masculinity, and that peach scene in Call Me By Your Name for i-D Magazine, and the resulting article (along with the grimiest — in the best way — photos of Chalamet) confirms that Styles and Chalamet are two of the purest boys in the biz right now.

Fans have been waiting for Chalamet and Styles to meet for a very long time, and their long-distance interaction (if they did a photoshoot together, the internet would surely combust) did not disappoint. Styles and Chalamet are a part of a new front of young, sensitive, and sensible actors, who don't really resemble the rough-and-tumble all-American movie stars of years past. They know it. They love it. And they discussed it.

First, Styles asks Chalamet about how the concept of masculinity has changed for him over the years, and Chalamet admitted he was waiting to ask the singer the same question. "I was going to ask you a version of that question but I worried it would be giving myself too much credit to think I could make a change like that," he says. "But, if you are giving me that license then I would say absolutely. It’s one of the reasons I’m so happy to get on the phone with you because growing up we did have some people to look up to, but it wasn’t as obvious...I would be so thrilled to know that the roles I’m playing are instigating change in some way."

He goes on, struggling to define what exactly it is about him, and Styles, and even Chalamet-counterpart Lucas Hedges, that makes them stand-out. "How do I phrase this? I think there’s something to be written about this by someone way smarter than I am... I want to say you can be whatever you want to be. There isn’t a specific notion, or jean size, or muscle shirt, or affectation, or eyebrow raise, or dissolution, or drug use that you have to take part in to be masculine. It’s exciting. It’s a brave new world."

Styles agrees, adding that he believes his relationship with his mother and sister directly impacted his ability to be vulnerable, and not shy away from the more feminine constructs in life (this is an idea Jonah Hill also touched on in an interview with Refinery29 when talking about his new movie, which coincidentally stars Hedges). "You have this idea of what being masculine is and as you grow up and experience more of the world, you become more comfortable with who you are," he replied. "Today it’s easier to embrace masculinity in so many different things. I definitely find — through music, writing, talking with friends and being open — that some of the times when I feel most confident is when I’m allowing myself to be vulnerable. It’s something that I definitely try and do."

And if you're not already standing up on your desk cheering on our two beautiful, good boys, Chalamet is here to knock it out of the park. "It’s almost a high to be vulnerable," he says. "I really get that. I think it can be achieved in art, but also in intimacy. It’s the craziest feeling to achieve that vulnerability. If us having this conversation, in any infinitesimal way, can help anyone, a guy, a girl, realise that being vulnerable is not a weakness, not a social barrier. It doesn’t mean you’re crazy or hyper emotional, you’re just human, which I think is something your music gets at and hopefully my movies do too. Humans are complex; we need to feel a lot of things. We are not homogeneous."

Yeah, he said "infinitesimal." Such good boys!

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If you're experiencing the type of temperatures we've had over the past week or so in London, then you've likely had to break out those winter coats and sweaters. It's gotten a little chilly, hasn't it? And while we're thankful for the switch in seasons (our summer dresses got a little too much wear), there's just one problem: we kind of skipped autumn.

Since we have a feeling November might be a bit of a gamble — it's supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow, but could easily snow in three weeks — we're giving you a variety of ways to wear your cold-weather staples. Your favourite thigh high boots? Wear them with a mini skirt to replace pants or tights. That denim jacket you wore all summer? Pile your sweaters underneath. We’re welcoming November with open arms. It's fluffy jackets and patent trench coats galore from here on out.

With unpredictable temperatures, your wardrobe is going to have to pull double-duty. Let these 30 outfits ahead help your closet hit its full potential.

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Fallen Hollywood titan Harvey Weinstein has made headlines yet again for another sexual misconduct accusation.

According to a report from People, a new lawsuit accuses the film producer of sexually harassing a Polish model and aspiring actress — referred to as Jane Doe in the lawsuit — over a 10-year period, beginning when she was just 16.

This claim is part of a class action lawsuit against Weinstein, filed by multiple women who accuse the Shakespeare In Love producer of engaging in various degrees of sexual misconduct.

Per the new lawsuit filing, according to CBC, Weinstein allegedly lured the actress to her apartment days after meeting her under the guise of a business lunch. He then allegedly instructed her to take off her clothes.

"Terrified and struggling to hold back tears, Jane Doe said she would not and resisted his demands," the filing states, per CBC. "Jane Doe was a virgin, and had no intention or understanding when she agreed to a business lunch that she would be put in this alarming position."

Weinstein allegedly continued to "emotionally abuse" and "sexually harass" the unnamed accuser for the next decade.

Per People, court documents state that Weinstein promised the accuser work in the entertainment industry but never followed through "because she would not give in to his sexual demands."

The court documents also claim that Weinstein threatened the accuser to engage in sexual acts and forced the woman to touch his genitals. This alleged misconduct reportedly continued until the woman severed all contact with Weinstein in 2011.

Weinstein vehemently denies previous rape allegations. Weinstein's lawyer denied this particular claim to People, stating:

"This claim is preposterous and eventually, just as others have been exposed to be liars, this uncorroborated allegation that is almost 20 years old will be shown to be patently false."

This allegation is just one in a slew to come out against Weinstein. In October of 2017, a New York Times piece on the former co-chair of Miramax detailed multiple accusations against Weinstein, including from Hollywood stars like Rose McGowan, who claims Weinstein raped her. A New Yorker piece by Ronan Farrow on Weinstein's alleged survivors followed shortly after.

In May, Weinstein was indicted by a grand jury on two charges of rape as well as a criminal sexual act in the first degree. He pled not guilty and is currently out on bail.

Refinery29 has reached out to Weinstein's lawyer for comment.

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Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing has been incredibly transparent about wanting to bring fashion to the masses. In fact, he's structuring his entire business around it. Rousteing — one of three Black men to ever helm a major fashion house — has made good on his promise of promoting inclusivity by helping Black actresses challenge racism at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and designing Beyoncé’s iconic Coachella costumes. In September, Rousteing introduced a next level army — using virtual reality to democratise the runway in a groundbreaking partnership with [Facebook] Oculus to allow a new audience from around the world join in for an exclusive 360 view of the collection. And now that the world is watching, Rousteing is taking the French fashion house back to its roots.

On Wednesday, he announced at WWD's Retail & Apparel CEO Summit that he wanted to "bring back the Parisian DNA" to his brand. For the first time in 16 years, Balmain will make couture again, and it could be on the fashion calendar as soon as next January. We knew something was up earlier this year, when Rousteing decided it was time to outfit his #BalmainArmy in more than bandage dresses and sharply-tailored blazers. He launched a 10-piece collection of evening wear dubbed 44 Francois Premier (the location of Balmain's atelier), calling it a "palette cleanser."

As Rousteing put it, the move is "a chance to return to the beginnings of this house, with the single driving goal being that of creating unique and exquisite pieces, far removed from editorial and runway pressures." Last January, the designer told Vogue that, to prepare, he dug through the house's archives with the aim of paying tribute to both Pierre Balmain himself and as well as the rock & roll aesthetic of Christoph Decarnin, Rousteing's predecessor.

We're excited to see what Couture Fashion Week brings come January.

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Ivanka's schedule has not been made public, so each week, we will do our best to cover the public events and forums she attends, the meetings she has with lawmakers and government officials, and her social media presence.

Saturday, October 27

After a gunman opened fire inside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 people, Ivanka took to Twitter to send a message of solidarity. "America is stronger than the acts of a depraved bigot and anti-semite. All good Americans stand with the Jewish people to oppose acts of terror & share the horror, disgust & outrage over the massacre in Pittsburgh," she wrote. "We must unite against hatred & evil. God bless those affected."

America is stronger than the acts of a depraved bigot and anti-semite.

All good Americans stand with the Jewish people to oppose acts of terror & share the horror, disgust & outrage over the massacre in Pittsburgh.
We must unite against hatred & evil.

God bless those affected

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 27, 2018

Sunday, October 28

Ivanka shared a picture of the White House's American flag flown at half-staff to honour the victims of the synagogue shooting, following a proclamation from her father President Donald Trump.

As a mark of solemn respect for the victims at The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA, POTUS issued a Proclamation that the flag of the United States be flown at half-staff at the White House, at all military posts & naval stations & on all naval vessels of the Federal Govt pic.twitter.com/ltA3Lemd3u

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 28, 2018

Monday, October 29

Four investors filed a lawsuit against the Trump Organization, alleging the Trumps violated federal anti-racketeering law.

The first daughter retweeted a post from the official White House account including a story about her visit to Kentucky last week.

.@IvankaTrump on the American Dream: “There are multiple paths and we want to celebrate and equally honor those individual paths.”

More on her visit Friday to Morehead State University and job centers in eastern Kentucky: https://t.co/T4iWO20grw

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 29, 2018

She also touted the final report of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders, an initiative she championed in February 2017, before officially joining the White House as a senior adviser to the president.

Page Six reported Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner attended the 50th birthday party of Hugh Jackman. The actor said: "I’ve been friends with them for 15 years so I am sure they were happy not to talk politics for a night."

Tuesday, October 30

The first daughter celebrated her 37th birthday.

Thank you all for yesterday’s warm birthday wishes! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/aQgkvQDcRy

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 31, 2018

Ivanka and her husband also traveled with President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin to Pittsburgh, despite opposition from city officials and members of the Jewish community. There, they paid respect to the victims of Saturday's shooting and met with first responders.

The New York Times reports that Kushner, the grandson of Holocaust survivors, and Ivanka, who converted to Judaism before marrying, worked behind the scenes to shape the president's response to the tragedy. Last year, his failure to condemn white nationalists and anti-Semitism after the violence in Charlottesville, VA was heavily criticised.

Today, I traveled with the President, First Lady, Secretary Mnuchin and my husband Jared to Pittsburgh to pay our respects at The Tree of Life synagogue and visit with first responders.
We saw firsthand a community that has suffered the unimaginable but remains united and strong.

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 31, 2018

Wednesday, October 31

Ivanka helped host an event at the White House related to the administration's Pledge to America’s Workers campaign.

.@IvankaTrump has worked alongside the President on the Pledge to America's Workers, resulting in over 6 MILLION new opportunities in just over 3 months. pic.twitter.com/kn2mKM9Lz4

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) October 31, 2018

Thursday, November 1

Ivanka tweeted about the economy. She also traveled to Reno, NV to campaign for Sen. Dean Heller, who is locked in one of the most competitive races this midterm election. If Rep. Jacky Rosen defeats Heller, it would help Democrats get at chance at regaining control of the Senate.

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Mary Austin was 19 years old when a 24-year-old Freddie Mercury walked into Biba, the posh London department store where she was working. He swerved the course of her life towards one marked by great love, stadium tours, devastating loss, and inheriting a 28-room London mansion (but that's for later). At the time, Mercury was a year away from founding Queen, one of the 20th century's biggest rock bands. Five months after meeting, Austin and Mercury moved into together; they remained a couple for six years, but friends for life.

The movie Bohemian Rhapsody, out November 2, memorialises the relationship between Mercury (Rami Malek) and Austin (Lucy Boynton), which continued to evolve even after Mercury came out as bisexual and their romantic connection ceased. Austin was there when he was dying of AIDS. She was there for it all. "It's fair to say she was the love of his life," Mick Rock, one of the couple's friends, said in the documentary Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story.

Now, Austin lives a private life in Garden Lodge, the mansion she inherited from Mercury when he died at the age of 45 in 1991. Though Austin once regularly greeted mourners and interacted with fans, she's since stopped. In 2017, Austin angered Mercury's fans when she repainted the shrine to Mercury had gradually built up on the gated walls outside the Kensington mansion. But the home itself is a shrine to Mercury. Austin hasn't changed the decor of Mercury's dream home much at all. Because for Austin, Mercury's death was tremendous. "I lost somebody who I thought was my eternal love. When he died I felt we'd had a marriage. We'd lived our vows. We'd done it for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health. You could never have let go of Freddie unless he died — and even then it was difficult," she told OK.

Until she met Mercury in 1969, Austin's life hadn't been positioned towards the extraordinary. Her father was a wallpaper trimmer. Her mother worked as a maid. Both of her parents were deaf. Though Austin's job in PR at Biba allowed her to brush shoulders with the elite, like Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger, she actually met Mercury through Queen's future lead guitarist Brian May, whom Austin briefly dated. After visiting the store a few times, Mercury asked Austin out on his 24th birthday. She said no. He persisted. So, they went out the next night instead.

Within the year, while Mercury and Austin were living in a tiny London flat, Mercury's newly formed band, Queen, would begin to see success. Austin recognised Mercury's star power during a small showcase at his old college. She also recognised that she was coming along for the ride. "That night, I realised that I had to go along with this and be part of it. As everything took off I was watching him flower. It was wonderful to observe," Austin told OK.

To their friends, Austin and Mercury seemed like the epitome of young love and happiness. "They were very sweet. They were like a married couple. This was obviously true love,” Queen's Brian May said in Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story.

Mercury proposed to Austin in 1973. “He gave me a big box on Christmas Day. Inside was another box, then another and so it went on. It was like one of his playful games,” she recalled to Daily Mail in 2013. “Eventually, I found a lovely jade ring inside the last small box.I was shocked. It just so wasn’t what I was expecting. I just whispered, ‘Yes. I will.’” The scene is recreated in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.

Though Mercury referred to their relationship as a marriage, the two never formally got married. Their relationship changed as Queen experienced more fame, and Mercury began to sleep with men. Austin suspected Mercury was "not one with himself." Eventually, Mercury came out as bisexual, as Austin had suspected. "It was a relief really, to actually hear it from him. To know that I had guessed more less right," she said in Freddie Mercury: The Untold Story. "I was supportive of him becoming gay because it was part of himself. It was nice to see Freddie at one with himself. It was more than nice. It was wonderful."

Their physical relationship ended, but their connection only grew. Mercury bought her a flat near his apartment, and employed her as his personal assistant. Their history with one another clouded all other romantic partnerships. In a 1985 interview, Mercury said, "All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary, but it's simply impossible. I couldn't fall in love with a man the same way I did with Mary."

That said, they both did have other long-lasting relationships. After their split, Mercury — born Farrokh Bulsara to conservative Parsi parents — remained single for some time. He dated other women (like actress Barbara Valentin) publicly, and men privately. Mercury was with Jim Hutton (played by Aaron McCusker in Bohemian Rhapsody) for seven years, until the time of his death. Hutton was a hair dresser and kept his job even after moving into Mercury's mansion. Hutton died in 2010 of cancer.

Austin, meanwhile, was married twice. First, to painter Piers Cameron, with whom she had two sons. Then, to businessman Nick Holford, whom she divorced after five years.

When Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS, Austin was one of the people who took care of him, along with Hutton. “I lost my family, really, when Freddie died,” Austin told The Daily Mail. “He was everything to me, apart from my sons. He was like no one I had met before.” Upon his death in 1991, Mercury left her and her sons his 28-room house and half his $75 million fortune, inciting jealousy among his former bandmates. Mercury also gave Austin the responsibility of burying his ashes in a secret location. “He didn’t want anyone trying to dig him up as has happened to some famous people. Fans can be deeply obsessive. He wanted it to remain a secret and it will remain so," Austin told The Daily Mail.

Catch the fictionalised depiction of their simply unclassifiable relationship in Bohemian Rhapsody, out now.

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A few minutes before 11:10 a.m. EST on the morning of 1st November, the warm autumn sun beat down on the facade of Google’s New York City headquarters. A silent sea of reporters surrounded the gold entrance, watching as the first Google employees began to trickle through the front doors, walking out in solidarity with thousands of colleagues from Google offices around the world.

One woman, who works in Google’s engineering department, marched down West 15th Street carrying a large white sign that read “Happy to quit for $90,000,000 — no sexual harassment required.” When asked her reasons for walking out of work today, she requested to remain anonymous, but did not mince her words: “I want transparency in sexual harassment cases and how they’re handled,” she said. “They’re slashing a lot of perks and benefits for employees and then we find out that they’re paying a $90-million payout to somebody who was known to be a sexual harasser. It strikes me as unfair.”

The Google walkout comes on the heels of a New York Times article that exposed the tech behemoth’s history of discrimination, sexual harassment, and support of abuse and abusers at the company. One of the most shocking anecdotes in the story was of Andy Rubin, the creator of Android, who reportedly received a $90-million exit package despite a history of sexual misconduct.

While the exposé destabilised many perceptions of Google’s culture, the aftermath tells, perhaps, the more crucial story. A group of seven core organisers — who decided they’d had enough of this toxic culture — took matters into their own hands and organised a walkout. They are asking Google executives to respond to five specific demands: An end to forced arbitration in harassment and discrimination cases; a commitment to end pay and opportunity inequity; a public sexual harassment transparency report; a clear and inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct safely and anonymously; and to promote the chief diversity officer to answer directly to the CEO and make recommendations directly to the board of directors. In addition, they want an employee representative appointed to the board.

These latest incidents at Google are not isolated. In fact, the tech giant has a long history of problematic incidents pegged to sexism and inequity. The company has previously come under fire for pay inequity, accused of systematically underpaying women workers, and even facing discrimination charges for unequal pay. In August 2017, Google engineer James Damore published a viral memo filled with sexist rhetoric and complaints about Google's diversity policies, claiming the company suffered because it's an ideological echo chamber. And in the summer of 2015, Erica Baker, who then worked as a Google engineer, made headlines after she shared she organised an internal spreadsheet documenting employee salaries to highlight the company's pay gap.

As of yesterday, roughly 1,500 individuals had planned to walk out of company offices around the globe, according to the New York Times. But, judging by New York City’s turnout, this was likely an underestimate. By 11:15 a.m., a steady stream of Googlers carrying signs and donning branded Google apparel began pushing down Eighth Avenue. The vast majority of the men and women remained tight-lipped, declining to comment on their motivations for participating. As they rounded the corner onto West 15th Street, the throng advanced toward Hudson River Park's 14th Street Park where a massive crowd convened. The park was quickly at full capacity and attendants diverted the protestors into an overflow area adjacent to the park.

Inside the park’s gates, a throbbing mass of Google employees gathered around a small group of women organisers. They stood on chairs and shared their views through a loudspeaker. Among them was Meredith Whittaker, one of the walkout’s core organisers.

“I am here because what you read in the New York Times are a small sampling of the thousands of stories we all have, the thousands of stories we carry for each other, the thousands of instances of abuse of power, discrimination, harassment, and a pattern of unethical and thoughtless decision-making that has marked this company for the last year and that has marked our culture and scarred so many of us,” Whittaker said to the crowd. “This is it. Time is up. We’re just getting started, and we want to bring all of you along with us.”

As the speeches concluded, the crowd erupted into a chant — “Time is up, time is up, time is up!” — before beginning to disperse. And, indeed, the words “time is up,” are very much in line with the crux of the countless movements and protests that have taken place in the last twelve months. One year after the #MeToo movement first destabilised U.S. and global status quo around sexual misconduct in the workplace and in society at large, Google is now experiencing perhaps its largest scandal to date. The question is: How will this tech company respond to their employees’ concerns and will there be any real change?

Google declined to comment on the walkout, saying "it’s a grassroots movement,” and at time of writing, Refinery29 had not yet received comment from organisers. But, inside Hudson River Park, Demma Rodriguez, head of equity engineering, had no shortage of words to share. Rodriguez said today’s numbers suggested that people care and want to usher in progress. But it’s not enough to participate in a single act of solidarity and protest, Rodriguez made it clear that what she hopes for is long-lasting, structural change.

“Everyone at Google should be able to stay safe,” Rodriguez said. “I said in my remarks, and I meant it: Every single person who shows up to work at Google is an equal member of our community and deserves to be respected, protected, and safe at work.”

Rodriguez went on to speak of complacency, specifically that the power of a few executives should never eclipse the safety of all. She added that she hopes the public knows that there are many members of the Google community working hard to fix, bring attention to, and prevent these abuses of power from reoccurring.

“We have very clear values about respect. It’s absolutely critical that the world understands that we take those values seriously,” Rodriguez said. “We want to make sure and make clear that our communities within Google want this to change, expect it to change, and in many ways demand it to change.”

As she spoke candidly about Google’s problems, colleagues began to gather around Rodriguez, nodding along with her words. Though she was the one to speak these words, it was evident that she spoke not just for herself, but also for the many who chose to — or felt they had to — stay silent: “We’re going to have to get it right,” Rodriguez said. “Because that is what the world expects of us. And most importantly, that is what we each should expect of ourselves.”

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We're suffering from decision fatigue. Each day starts with the pressure of choosing an outfit (slacks or LBD). Then, we have to make tough choices like what to drink (tea vs. coffee). And don't even get us started on work-related decisions (so much email...). So when it comes to hair, we're all about taking the easy way out, which means a ponytail or an easy air-dried style.

As you can imagine, that can get real boring, real quick. So, we've browsed YouTube tutorials, Pinterest inspo boards, and our Instagram save s for hair ideas that won't take up too much mental energy. We've been archiving these selfie-worthy styles for the last month, collecting a variety of looks that fit with different lengths and textures. Make some space on your phone's camera roll, because you'll need to save these photos for later.

Ahead, check out 30 hair looks to try in November.

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Let's get real, you guys. It's about time we accept that the nostalgia vibe isn't going anywhere. As excited as we may be for new entertainment arrivals (here's looking at you Killing Eve, The Cry, Little Drummer Girl), our appetite for television that glorifies and reflects on our younger years never wavers. So we're here to satisfy that craving.

To mark (or compete with, who knows) the arrival of Netflix reboot Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Channel 4 announced that they had acquired the original Sabrina the Teenage Witch series starring Melissa Joan Hart and our beloved Salem the cat. But the nostalgia train doesn't stop there, my friends.

Totally over the films but longing for some vintage Samantha Jones one-liners? We know where to get your Sex and the City fix. Wish to relive the teenage turmoil of Skins? Sid, Tony, Michelle and the gang are just a few clicks away. Read on to find out where to stream some of your favourite shows from the '90s and '00s.

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Hello to layering, cosy knits and (very nearly) all things festive. This month, we may be dealing with actual cold but we're also embracing warm clothes, layers and eyeing up the perfect winter coat to see us through until – let's be honest – February 2019.

For our winter wish list, team Refinery is loving tones of emerald, mustard, rust and navy. Bishop sleeves and bell bottoms are also a team favourite. And once you get scrolling, you'll find a plethora of cosy knits, delicate jewellery, trainers and boots to inspire your November style.

Without further ado, have a look at what R29 are coveting for the chilly month ahead...

At Refinery29 UK, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.

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From fashion week catwalks to online makeup tutorials, the lit-from-within skin trend has reigned supreme, making luminous cheekbones and shimmering Cupid's bows the markers of brilliant makeup skills, a first-class skincare routine and, of course, good health. On Instagram alone, the hashtag #GlowingSkin throws up over 2 million selfies, shelfies and pictures of makeup products like highlighter and foundation, while #Glow hits 8 million tags – and counting.

So you can only imagine our surprise when Terry Barber, MAC's director of makeup artistry, was recently quoted as saying the glow is "dead". That's right, it's no longer all about otherworldly luminosity, but perfectly matte skin – and it's set to make a big reappearance in the beauty world. "The way highlighter is used now is just not fresh," Barber told British Vogue. "It looks dated. But, powder is back."

While powder might conjure up images of your grandmother's dressing table or overdoing it on pressed compacts in your teens, there's a trick to nailing it. "The way to have 'perfect' skin really is to have it more matte," explains Mary Greenwell, Laura Mercier makeup artist ambassador. "Avoid using powders around the cheek area where you are using other products and simply use powder to take down the shine in areas like the T-zone, where a light dusting is most beneficial. And always do it with a brush. I don’t like using a puff as they deliver too much product. With a brush, you are really able to get into the small areas of the face."

If that doesn't sway you, powder technology has come a long way since the types that would collect in fine lines and dry patches and make skin look heavy or cakey. "Today we are seeing new powders come into play that not only set makeup, but also give skin lasting natural luminosity, all while blurring fine lines," adds Greenwell. "The Loose Setting Powder Glow, £29, is great for this thanks to the five pearl glow blend and a special mica, which means no flashback. It allows you to keep a natural glow and doubles the wear of foundation, without adding weight or texture, and creates a soft-focus effect to subtly blur the look of fine lines and imperfections." R29 also rates Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless Finish, £34 – a pressed powder – and Nip + Fab's Makeup Setting Powder, £8.95.

Of course, the whole glowing vs matte skin debate caused a bit of a stir in the Refinery29 office. Is glowing skin really dead? Should we ditch the highlighter? And ultimately, which finish wins? Ahead, two R29 staffers argue their case.

For glowing skin: Georgia Murray, Fashion & Beauty Writer

Throughout my teenage years, I was mortified by my oily skin. I used Rimmel’s Stay Matte Pressed Powder like it was going out of production, and let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty. Pores were clogged, patches were dry, and it always melted off by lunchtime anyway, leaving me with the most confused of complexions. Fast-forward to my 20s and many a blotting paper haphazardly used later, and I started to embrace my oil-slicked skin. Why? I was fighting a losing battle with matte products, and then I interviewed makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, who has long been an advocate of beauty that makes your skin look like skin – but better.

A good moisturiser here (my favourite is LixirSkin’s Universal Emulsion, as it locks in moisture instead of providing even more oily skin), a solid primer there (Kiehl’s Glow Formula Skin Hydrator keeps my base on all day but is also the beauty product I get most compliments on), and my skin not only looks glowing but doesn’t require constant top-ups. The big winner, though? Since I stopped trying to mattify my naturally shiny skin, it’s cleared up. Work with what you’ve got, gals. Glow get ‘em.

Against glowing skin: Jess Commons, Health & Living Editor

Look, I think pictures of Insta-models with skin as glossy and fresh as the morning dew are very pretty and all. But for me, it’s a look not worth chasing. I’ve got oily skin and, given half the chance, my complexion will go from 'glowy' or 'dewy' to 'just dunked my head in a deep fat fryer' in no time at all. Plus, with a nose as out of whack as mine, the last thing you want is to draw attention to it with extra shine.

I’m a big fan of that matte '90s look from every single Revlon advert back in the day; rich matte lipstick, smooth velvet skin and cheekbones defined from underneath with a brown-hued powder blush. Highlighter is the tool of the Kardashians; I’ll take vintage Cindy Crawford any day.

In winter though, I can get dry patches on my skin and powder plus dry patches is a very bad idea indeed. So in the morning, after my serum, I put on lots of (throwback) Clean & Clear Oil Free Moisturiser, which is still incredible all these years later – fight me. Then I cover with a super sheer SPF – I use LANCER Sheer Fluid Sun Shield SPF30 as it’s lighter than air and doesn’t add any grease to my face but still protects me from those dastardly UV rays. Makeup-wise I use L’Oréal’s Infallible 24H-Matte Mattifying Foundation followed by either Pür Cosmetics 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup or Tarte’s Amazonian Clay Airbrush Foundation Powder.

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A small amount of jealousy is normal and, arguably, healthy in a relationship. Knowing your partner could be with someone else if they wanted to can make you appreciate them more, treat them better and not get complacent. It's a common, useful feeling, grounded in reality (a relationship is a choice: you've chosen each other).

Less useful, however, is a less-discussed (but potentially just as prevalent) phenomenon known as "retroactive jealousy": feeling curious and jealous about a partner's past relationships and sexual history, even if you know there's nothing going on. At its most innocuous, it might mean glancing at their ex's Instagram every once in a while out of boredom, or being a little too interested in what was said in their most recent "friendly catch-up". At its worst? Retroactive jealousy is obsessive, compulsive and ruinous. It means delving through the entire backlog of posts, comments and photos of them together online, constantly comparing yourself with the ex and incessantly questioning your partner about every element of their relationship.

It's a pretty shameful thing to admit to, so it's unsurprising that those we spoke to about the phenomenon wanted to remain anonymous. Ahead, five women share their experiences of retroactive jealousy.

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Every single person's relationship with their parents is unique — and complex. From dealing with conflicts to expressing affection, each family takes a different approach. But, there's a point at which a child-parent dynamic isn't merely different, it is downright toxic.

Matt Lundquist, LCSW, a psychotherapist based in New York City, explains that a toxic relationship is any relationship "where abuse (verbal, emotional, physical, sexual) happens frequently and goes on unchecked." He adds that toxic relationships are often high-conflict, but might not be all bad all the time — nevertheless, good times don't make a relationship healthy.

A toxic dynamic often manifests between parents and their children when the parents act out of their self-interest and, essentially, narcissism. "A parent who doesn't have the emotional capacity to see a child's needs...as important" is a toxic parent, Lundquist explains. "This can play out as blaming, competitiveness, [or] being withholding."

According to Psychology Today, other common actions of a toxic parent may include constantly criticising their child, overreacting or behaving dramatically, controlling their child's every choice, or manipulating their child to do what they want. Some of these behaviours are more subtle than others, but they all indicate a parent's general lack of respect for their child's needs and feelings. Naturally, if these patterns are established when the child is very young, they might not be able to recognise their parents' behaviour as toxic and, in turn, accept this sort of treatment as normal.

As the child grows up, however, they may realise that their parents' behaviours and actions are not healthy, let alone normal. The emotionally toxic behaviour will likely continue when the child reaches adulthood, and another sort of exploitation may be added to the mix. "We often see fairly overt abuse [in toxic child-parent relationships] — parents stealing from their adult children in the form of taking on debt in their names, creating financially disruptive situations that their adult children need to 'rescue' them from, [and] failing to repay loans," Lundquist says.

If an adult believes their relationship with their parents is toxic, Lundquist says it will be very difficult to effectively broach the subject with their parents. "The solution is less about appealing to their sense of reason and asking them to change, and more about heavy duty limit-setting," he says. Of course, a therapist can help develop strategies for establishing these sorts of boundaries. "Once limits are set and the abuse is not longer allowed, the resentment fades," Lundquist says.

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Workplace discrimination based on a whole host of factors – from gender and race to religion and marital status – is illegal in the UK. But it seems women's body size is fair game: it's not against the law for workers to be overlooked and paid less because of their weight, and research suggests employers are exploiting this loophole.

According to new figures from LinkedIn, weight discrimination is rife in UK workplaces – and the situation is worst for women. Workers classed as obese are paid £1,940 less per year than their colleagues, with women classed as 'overweight' or 'obese' (according to their BMI) receiving a staggering £8,919 less on average each year than their male counterparts.

Almost a quarter (21%) of workers classed as overweight, and nearly a third (31%) of those who were obese, felt they'd been overlooked for a job, promotion or pay rise because of their size, while more than half (53%) of plus-size workers said they felt left out of the team because of their weight.

Women are more likely to feel uncomfortable at work because of their size than men: 39% compared to 28% of men, and more women (38%) said their weight has been detrimental to their workplace confidence and performance, compared to just a quarter (26%) of men.

Here, three women reveal the truth about what it's like being plus-size in the workplace.

Christina McDermott, 35, from Liverpool, runs a social media agency.

"In one of my first jobs out of university, I was bullied quite badly by another plus-size woman, who was very vocal about what I ate. She’d comment on what I was eating whenever we went out for a team lunch, which made me feel extremely self-conscious, to the point where I’d prefer to eat nothing at all. After returning from a business trip and handing my receipts in for expenses, she also read out everything I’d eaten for lunch and dinner to the entire office, commenting on the fat and salt content of everything and laughing at me for being 'greedy'. At the time, I was very self-conscious about my weight and my looks and it definitely contributed to having to eventually leave that job due to suffering from clinical depression and anxiety.

I was turned down for a publishing job because they felt 'my personality was too large for the organisation'.

"I’ve also found the prevalence of diet culture in all the jobs I’ve worked in to be extremely difficult. One colleague once mentioned that the worst thing someone could tell them was 'that they were fat’, and I had to have a conversation with them about why this wasn’t an appropriate thing to say in front of a fat woman. It’s very triggering to hear people around you say that they’re going to 'treat themselves' when there’s cake or sweets available or that they’re having a 'cheat day'. The implication is that they’re worried that eating the wrong thing is going to make them look like me.

"I’ve spent most of my career working in the media and advertising industries and I’ve found that there’s a definite preference there for women who are young, thin and pretty. I’d find that (male) creative directors would often court the opinions of others who were less experienced than me because they were half my weight. Before I worked for myself, I do think my weight negatively impacted people’s opinions of me. I was once turned down for a publishing job because they felt 'my personality was too large for the organisation'.

"It’s less acceptable for women to be plus-size in an office and you have to work twice as hard to prove yourself. You’re also expected to dress and look a certain way and take more 'pride' in your appearance to be taken seriously, whereas with a plus-size man, it’s 'just the way they are'. In one of my old jobs, a plus-size man would regularly eat a Papa John’s meal deal at his desk every day. The one time I ate some chips at my desk, one of my colleagues tutted at me about how 'greasy' they were. One of the nice things about working from home for myself is that no one will ever judge me for deciding to have a bag of crisps at 4pm."

Stephanie Yeboah, 29, from London, is a digital PR strategist and plus-size style blogger. She has written about her experiences of workplace discrimination based on her size.

"There have been a few occasions that I've felt I was discriminated against because of my size. On one such occasion, new uniforms were being introduced into our department and the largest size they went up to was a size 16. I asked a female manager if it would be okay for me to buy my own clothing to wear to work that resembled the uniform (it was monochrome), and she laughed, said 'no', and went on to say that 'maybe if I lost weight, I could fit in with everyone else'. I said nothing at the time as I was quite shocked, but I do remember shedding a tear or two as I felt that I had been singled out and made to feel 'less than'.

"I've most definitely been held back at work because of my size. Especially in client/public facing roles, I've been made to feel I don’t have the right 'look' to represent the company.

"I do think that plus-size women get a harsher deal in the workplace than men, but that’s only because women in general are policed more than men in our society. The treatment of plus-size men in society isn’t as harsh at all, and they are given a lot more respect and authority than women."

Bethany Rutter, 29, from London, does social media for a women's plus-size fashion brand.

"Like a lot of fat women, I can't specifically articulate tangible ways I've been held back at work, like being passed over for a job or a promotion or not given a pay rise, but I can say that the atmosphere of a workplace has made me feel that fat people are inherently not taken seriously or respected as much as thin people. It's similar to a lot of discrimination in that even if you can't pinpoint specific instances, if everyone's always talking about diets or how 'fat' they feel when they're not, it makes you, as a fat woman, understand that they have bought into all the negative stereotypes around fat bodies.

Given that one of the key perceived traits of fat people is that we're lazy and/or stupid, these are traits that don't mesh well with perceived professionalism.

"Why, then, would you expect to be taken seriously by them if you exemplify everything they go out of their way to avoid? Given that one of the key perceived traits of fat people is that we're lazy and/or stupid, these are traits that don't mesh well with perceived professionalism, so it's no surprise that this climate converts into lower salaries, fewer promotions and fewer jobs for fat women.

"In a way, I've held myself back at work as much as anything – I'd have loved to work in fashion or fashion journalism, but when I interned at a women's magazine when I was at university, I overheard a conversation between two journalists where one said that before she came home from holiday in India, she'd decided she hadn't lost enough weight on the holiday – as if that's what holidays are for – so she licked the bottom of her flip flop to make herself sick. It made me realise it wasn't an environment I was ever going to be allowed to thrive in as a fat woman.

"I think a lot about the threshold for how much effort plus-size women have to make to be perceived as attractive, and in this respect, how much higher the bar is for fat women to be perceived as professional. I also think lad culture and banal misogyny in workplaces mean that fat men are more likely to be grouped in with 'the lads' than seen as the same as a plus-size woman."

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Whenever awards season rolls around, I start playing a little game while watching movies featuring truly great performances: Which scene will yield the clip that is inevitably played before that actor's name is read out at the Oscars?

When it comes to Carey Mulligan 's stunning turn in Wildlife, the answer is clear.

Based on a novel by Robert Ford, the film tracks the demise of an all-American family unit in early 1960s Montana. When Jerry Brinson (Jake Gyllenhaal) decides to find himself as an ersatz firefighter, volunteering to help stave off the wildfires raging in the mountains, Jeanette (Mulligan), his long-suffering wife, starts questioning her own life decisions. In plain view of her 14-year-old son, she launches into an affair with a local businessman, Warren Miller (Bill Camp), a move that's part vindictive, part desperate attempt at self-preservation.

The exclusive clip below catches Jeanette in a nostalgic mood. She's wearing clothes from her youth as a "shoot beauty," when she used to stand behind the bull shoots at rodeos, confident in her beauty and men's admiration. As Joe sets up the soup cans he's just bought to make dinner, Jeanette prowls around the kitchen, preening and posing for her son's benefit, desperately clinging to whatever sense of self she still has. It's a tragic reminder that not so very long ago, a woman's entire identity was dependent on male desire or her marital status. With Jerry gone, she's no longer a wife, so she must be a mistress. It's only starting to occur to her that she could be something else — something for herself alone.

Mulligan is phenomenal in this movie, but in this scene in particular, she infuses a woman who could flatly be deemed unsympathetic (and in fact was called "reprehensible" by an audience member during a post-screening Q&A) with pathos, emotion, and an aura of nihilistic despair. It's hard not to sympathise with her, even as she's vastly oversharing with her son, who watches, wide-eyed and bewildered.

See for yourself below:

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Over the past two years, America has been engaged in an ongoing conversation about “civility.” From the Women’s March to NFL players who kneel in protest of racial inequality and injustice, from people interrupting Trump administration officials out to dinner to protestors interrupting Supreme Court nomination hearings to register their dissent, various pundits and leaders across the political spectrum have expressed distaste for what they see as a rise in tactics that are uncivil, unproductive, and anti-democratic.

I’ve watched this debate unfold with frustration the entire time because it seems very clear to me that calling out bigotry and standing up for human rights — and confronting leaders who promote and exploit racism, xenophobia, transphobia, sexism, anti-Semitism either in their rhetoric or their policies or both — is the very definition of civil behaviour. But in the past week the conversation reached an entirely new low.

People, largely Republican commentators equated confronting public servants in restaurants to bombs being sent to my parents’ home — as if explosive material and threats of violence are at all equivalent to demands for answers, accountability, and a recognition of shared humanity. These demands may be coming from righteously angry people, and they may make some uncomfortable, but in no way are these peaceful protests, even if yelled out, equivalent to actual threats and acts of violence.

This entire week of news has been a catalogue of horror. My parents were not the only people to be on the receiving end of this attempted terrorism. Thirteen other explosive devices were sent to the Obamas, Democratic officials and common targets of President Trump’s rhetoric, from CNN to George Soros. Thankfully, no one was hurt.

Later in the very same week, many innocent people were: In Louisville Kentucky, two Black senior citizens were murdered at a grocery store by a white man who allegedly was driven by his racist hatred of Black people. And on Saturday, a gunman burst into the Tree Of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh before opening fire, killing 11 people and wounding 6 others. “Jews must die,” he was said to have shouted. It was the largest loss of Jewish life on a single day in American history.

This moment in American history is terrifying for many because the threats and the violence are all too real. It is not the ordinary Americans standing up, and yes, making a scene, and disrupting in an effort to be heard, who are the problem we should be wringing our hands over. It is instead radicalised white supremacist terrorists who threaten people and kill people and who seem to be emboldened right now, that we should be deeply concerned about. This shouldn’t have to be stated and yet it does.

Making matters worse is that the President of the United States is at best, fine with being a beneficiary of this rising, visible hate, if not himself an engine of it. From the start of his campaign, he labeled Mexicans “rapists,” and as President he’s repeatedly denigrated and dehumanised people for all sorts of “reasons”: from whether or not he finds them attractive to demeaning their home countries as “sh*tholes.” Since taking office, he’s played nice with white nationalists, and continued to refer to the press as “the enemy of the people,” even after the offices of the Maryland Capital-Gazette became the site of a massacre, and after CNN offices in Manhattan had to evacuate last week because of a bomb scare.

President Trump is not an anomaly today (see Congressman Steve King of Iowa) or in history. At least since Cicero, who more than 2,000 years ago talked about the “odium of Jewish gold,” anti-Semitic rhetoric has linked Jews with supposed ill-gotten money, often used for supposed misbegotten purposes. The 2018 version of this are the absurd assertions that George Soros is paying for, in the favoured parlance of Fox News, an “invasion” of Central Americans into the United States. Despite no evidence of George Soros having any connection to the group slowly coming north to seek asylum.

After what happened this past week with bombs and bloodshed, this cannot be dismissed as “just” crazy rhetoric. Mr. Soros was the first person last week known to have been sent a bomb. And the theory that Jews are funding an “invasion” of non-whites to the United States is one Robert Bowers, the Tree of Life murderer, shared on social media. Words that demean and degrade are often the gateway drug to words that threaten and the very real violence that often follows.

The best course of action now is two-fold: First, we must continue to name and call out anti-Semitism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia, classism or any other form of bigotry, and next we must vote next Tuesday.

Failing to do either in this moment would be to create more space for bigotry to fill; not standing up against this would be an example of true incivility. This is our country. It is what we make of it — what we accept and refuse to accept. What we resist and what we affirm. I still believe love trumps hate — but only if we make it so.

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Across the UK, rents vary enormously. From London, where rent is regularly as much as half a paycheque, to Belfast, where sharing a three-bedroom house can set you back as little as £170 a month, it's complicated and confusing stuff. But understanding the lay of the land is very important if you're trying to figure out where to put down roots, or where to head next on your precarious journey through adulthood.

Unfortunately you can't escape the fact that rents are high. According to Rightmove, the average rent paid for a studio or one-bedroom property in London is now is £1,318 a month. Other locations are, of course, less expensive.

If the London life is for you right now, then you may need to compromise on other parts of your lifestyle to find your ideal place to live. But just how much does that amount get you around the UK? We've rounded up the best that £1,300 can do in different cities to give you an idea of how things pan out across the UK.

Happy hunting.

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